Five takeaways from the Norfolk election debate

Candidates for the constituency of North Norfolk took part in the Your Voice, Your Vote debate

The candidates for the parliamentary constituency of North Norfolk have been answering your questions as part of Your Voice, Your Vote.

They spent 90 minutes discussing a range of subjects with BBC Radio Norfolk host Kayleigh Poacher.

You can watch the whole debate back here - but here are five things we learned during the debate.

1. Immigration

The topic of immigration sparked one of the most heated discussions in the debate.

Reform UK candidate Jason Patchett said he found it "disgusting" that illegal migrants were being placed into bed and breakfasts.

He said his party would push for net zero immigration. This is when the number of people legally allowed to enter to live and work in the UK each year would equal the number leaving, so the overall population remains approximately the same.

He said under Reform UK, illegal migrants would be placed in “internment camps” with their families.

The Labour Party candidate, Cathy Cordiner-Achenbach, said she did not like the way the issue of immigration was being used as a "political football".

She said she had spoken to someone on a doorstep last week, who had told her they would vote for whoever would go into the Channel and “puncture a boat”.

2. Policing crime

Candidates clashed again on the issue of crime.

The number of police officers in Norfolk has gone up in recent years, but that was after they were cut since 2010.

Mr Patchett, from Reform UK, said the country has had too much of a “softly-softly approach” to crime over the past 25 years and that the country needs a more “disciplined approach”.

He said those found guilty of knife crime or shoplifting from supermarkets should be sent to prison.

Ms Cordiner-Achenbach, from Labour, said people do not steal food from supermarkets if they do not have to.

3. Environment

Coastal erosion has been a significant issue in north Norfolk, with cliffs at Happisburgh and Hemsby crumbling into the sea.

Liz Dixon, the Green Party candidate, lives in Happisburgh and said her job was to “die before she became homeless” because she knew her home would eventually fall into the sea.

Candidates also spoke about the impact of recent sewage flows into rivers and beaches in north Norfolk.

Steffan Aquarone, the candidate for the Liberal Democrats, called for a ministerial role to be established specifically for the coast, who would address issues facing coastal communities. He said the real answer would be a change of government.

Duncan Baker, the Conservative Party parliamentary candidate, said recent heavy rain was contributing to the problem of outflows to the sea.

Mr Patchett, from Reform UK, said he found the spills “an abomination”.

4. Dentistry

Access to NHS dentists is a big problem in Norfolk, with the county having been referred to as a "dental desert".

The panel heard from Stephen Ward from North Walsham who had to pull out his own teeth as he could not see an NHS dentist.

Mr Baker, from the Conservative Party, said the University of East Anglia was “on the cusp” of including a dental school.

Mr Aquarone, from the Liberal Democrats, said patients could not afford to wait 10 years for more dentists to come through the education system.

5. Preparing for a Labour government?

At the start of the debate, Mr Baker, from the Conservative Party, reassured listeners that the rebuilding of the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth, and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, are set to be completed by 2030.

He challenged a possible incoming Labour government to make sure those plans are not slowed down.

He is not alone in taking this stance. Several other Conservative candidates have referred to a possible Labour victory.

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